


Two hearts, one soul

by stjarna



Series: Season 5 spec fics / coda / missing scenes [19]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feels, it's complicated - Freeform, open end, post 5x18, somewhat related to the S5 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 01:45:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: Jemma and Fitz discuss what happens to the Fitz floating in space if they break the loop. Set after 5x18 “All Roads Lead…”





	Two hearts, one soul

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to @dilkirani for the beta.  
> Banner by me.

She opens the door to the platform and a shy smile of relief flashes across her face when she sees him standing with his hands resting on the railing, his head dropped slightly back to gaze at the night sky.

A cool breeze engulfs her as she steps outside to join him, sending a shiver through her body.

He looks over his shoulder when he hears the door creak, one corner of his mouth ticking up slightly.

“Hey,” he says barely above a whisper.

She smiles, wrapping her arms around herself and walking over to where he’s standing. “There you are. I was starting to worry.”

A quiet puff of air escapes his nostrils and his gaze wanders to the floor in guilt.

“Sorry,” he mutters quietly. “I just needed—” He pauses, inhaling deeply and exhaling a shaky breath. “—fresh air.”

Jemma hugs herself even more tightly, trying to stand close to him to feel some of his body heat. “Well, it’s a rather beautiful night, isn’t it?”

He nods in silence, placing his hands back on the railing, swaying gently back and forth.

She can tell that his mind is elsewhere, and she waits patiently, giving him time, enjoying the view of the ocean, the millions and billions of stars twinkling in the sky.

“Do you still think my theory’s wrong?” he suddenly asks, never taking his eyes off the horizon. “Do you still think we can change time?”

She looks at him, studying the worry lines forming on his forehead. “I think your theory is as unproven as mine, but I prefer to work under the assumption that, yes, we can change time and save the world.”

He slowly turns his head, his eyes fixed on hers. “And what if we do? What happens with me then?”

She furrows her brow, shaking her head in bewilderment. “What do you mean what happens with you? What’s supposed to happen? You’ll be—”

“No,” he interrupts her, “I don’t mean me. I mean—” He pauses, exhaling sharply. “There’s two of me right now, you know?”

The wrinkles on her forehead grow deeper as she processes what he’s said, until realization hits her. “Because we returned from the future to a point in the present at which you—”

“—had already taken off to find you in the future,” he finishes her thought.

A quiet “Oh” escapes Jemma’s lips.

“Yeah,” Fitz mutters, shrugging slightly, his eyes shimmering behind a thin curtain of tears. “So what will happen with me if we save the world? I’ll travel 74 years into the future, wake up, and you’re gone, you’re _all_ gone. And then what?”

Jemma blinks, feeling herself welling up as well. She presses her lips into a thin line, her mind processing his dilemma.

“Well,” she mutters, “well, if we break the loop and save the world then we’ll just… we’ll just find you. We’ll find you and bring you back.”

“How?” Fitz asks, lifting his shoulders. “We don’t even know where exactly Enoch took me. All he said was we'll orbit a planet hidden safely away from Earth until I wake up. And when I did it took us four days to reach the Lighthouse.”

“Well, that’s something. That narrows it down considerably. I mean you know the speed at which Enoch’s ship could travel, right? So we’ll calculate a radius and—”

“And then what?” He interjects, fanning his arms out to the side, his tone loud, filled with frustration. “What do we tell him—me? What should he—I do? That version of me loves you just as much as I do, Jemma. That version of me dreamed of proposing to you and marrying you just as much as I did. That version of me spent six months in prison, just like me, worried sick about what happened to you, desperate to find a way back to you. What do we tell him? ‘Sorry, buddy, we saved the world but you still lost yours?’”

Jemma closes her eyes, feeling a trail of tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Or would you choose him?” Fitz continues. “Would you love him more because he’s not as damaged, because he didn’t cause as much—?”

“Stop!” she screams, opening her eyes and staring at him in anger. “Stop that.”

He looks at her wide-eyed, his chest heaving as much as hers. Eventually, his gaze drops to the ground as he mutters a quiet apology.

She takes a step forward, cupping his face and guiding his eyes back up.

“First of all,” she says, swallowing hard to try and steady her trembling voice, “you’re not damaged, you’re not damaged and I could never love anyone more than I love you, not even yourself… which doesn’t sound like it makes sense, except it does.”

“And second of all?” he asks quietly.

She lifts her shoulders, her chin quivering. “I don’t know. I don’t know what we’ll do, but I know we won’t let you wake up alone 74 years from now, because we promised each other to never leave each other’s side, and that goes for any version of you. Because there may be two of you, two bodies, two hearts, but… but you share the same soul and so I love you both.”

She looks at him, the sadness and confusion shimmering in his irises, her thumbs gently caressing the soft skin below his eyes. “I don’t have an answer to all your questions, Fitz, but… but we won’t let you wake up alone. We won’t. And we’ll figure it out—”

“Together?” he asks quietly, a shy smile playing on his lips.

She bobs her head in agreement. “Precisely.”

A tear jumps off his lashes and snakes down his chin, but the corners of his mouth quirk up. “Alright. That’s the plan then.”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

He scoffs, curling his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. “Guess you just can’t get enough of me, eh?”

She can’t help but laugh, slapping his chest playfully, before cupping his face again and sealing his lips with hers.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this would help me process the finale... instead, now I can't get the idea to actually write an AU follow-up where they rescue Cryo!Fitz and I have no good solution and no it wouldn't turn into a threesome and I'm making myself sad and yet I'll probably write it and go to hell for it.


End file.
